Trump and European leaders discussed ‘Article 5’ style guarantee for Ukraine outside NATO, sources say
U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders discussed possible security guarantees for Ukraine outside NATO but similar to the Alliance’s “Article 5” during their call on Saturday, two people familiar with the matter said.
One of the people, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said that European leaders were seeking clarity on what kind of U.S. role this would involve, but that there were no details yet.
NATO regards any attack launched on one of its 32 members as an attack on all under its Article 5 clause.
Holly Evans16 August 2025 11:34
Russia says it has taken two more villages in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions
On the battlefield, Russia’s defence ministry have said that its forces had taken Kolodyazi village in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, alongside Vorone village in the neighbouring Dnipropetrovsk region.
Ukrainian officials earlier said Russia had launched 85 attack drones and a ballistic missile at Ukrainian territory overnight.
The Donetsk region has been under heavy fighting since the invasion in 2022 (Ukraine’s ministry of internal affairs)
Holly Evans16 August 2025 11:24
Trump plays into Putin’s hands supporting prompt deal not ceasefire, Ukrainian lawmaker says
By proposing to abandon the ceasefire in favour of a fast peace agreement, U.S. President Donald Trump is taking Russian President Vladimir Putin’s position, a senior Ukrainian parliamentarian said on Saturday.
“Unfortunately, Trump has taken Putin’s position, and this was Putin’s demand,” Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the Ukrainian parliament’s foreign affairs committee, told Reuters.
“In Putin’s view, a peace agreement means several dangerous things – Ukraine not joining NATO, his absurd demands for denazification and demilitarisation, the Russian language and the Russian church,” he said.
Holly Evans16 August 2025 11:16
European leaders issue statement welcoming U.S. security guarantees
A group of European leaders including Sir Keir Starmer have released a joint statement after their call with Donald Trump, to debrief them on his meeting with Vladimir Putin.
The leaders, which included German chancellor Friedrich Merz and French president Emmanuel Macron, said they “welcomed President Trump’s efforts to stop the killing in Ukraine, end Russia’s war of aggression, and achieve just and lasting peace”.
They called for Zelensky’s involvement in future meetings, with support from European allies.
The statement read: “We welcome President Trump’s statement that the US is prepared to give security guarantees.
“The Coalition of the Willing is ready to play an active role. No limitations should be placed on Ukraine’s armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries.
“Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine‘s pathway to EU and NATO. It will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory. International borders must not be changed by force.
“Our support to Ukraine will continue. We are determined to do more to keep Ukraine strong in order to achieve an end to the fighting and a just and lasting peace.”
Holly Evans16 August 2025 11:09
Starmer praises Trump’s efforts as calls for ‘robust security guarantees’ for Ukraine
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has released a statement praising Trump’s efforts to end the “illegal” war in Ukraine, stating: “His leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended.”
He said: “While progress has been made, the next step must be further talks involving President Zelenskyy. The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without him.
“This morning, I spoke to President Zelenskyy, President Trump and other European partners, and we all stand ready to support this next phase.
“I welcome the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide robust security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal.
“This is important progress and will be crucial in deterring Putin from coming back for more.
“In the meantime, until he stops his barbaric assault, we will keep tightening the screws on his war machine with even more sanctions, which have already had a punishing impact on the Russian economy and its people. Our unwavering support for Ukraine will continue as long as it takes.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has reaffirmed the UK’s ‘unwavering’ support for Ukraine (Jordan Pettitt/PA) (PA Wire)
Holly Evans16 August 2025 11:03
Warm handshakes and an invitation to Moscow: The key takeaways from Putin and Trump’s summit in Alaska
The highly-anticipated meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin had been hailed as an essential and crucial step in forging a path towards peace in wartorn Ukraine.
In Moscow, the meeting has been praised as a success, while in the West, it has left more questions than answers.
Here are the key takeaways from the summit:
Holly Evans16 August 2025 10:48
‘Russia is a great power and they’re not,” Trump says of Ukraine
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday Ukraine should agree a deal to end the war with Russia because “Russia is a very big power, and they’re not”, after holding a summit with President Vladimir Putin that failed to yield a ceasefire.
In a major shift, Trump also said he had agreed with Putin that the best way to end the war was to go straight to a peace settlement – not via a ceasefire, as Ukraine and its European allies, until now with U.S. support, have been demanding.
n a post-summit interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Trump signaled that he and Putin had discussed potential land swaps and security guarantees for Ukraine.
“I think those are points that we negotiated, and those are points that we largely have agreed on,” Trump said.
“I think we’re pretty close to a deal,” he said, adding: “Ukraine has to agree to it. Maybe they’ll say no.”
When asked by Hannity what he would advise Zelensky, Trump said: “Gotta make a deal.”
“Look, Russia is a very big power, and they’re not. They’re great soldiers,” he added.
Holly Evans16 August 2025 10:37
European leaders have prepared joint statement on Alaska talks, says Poland’s Tusk
European leaders prepared a joint statement after evaluating information given by Donald Trump about the summit in Alaska and listening to the opinions of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Saturday.
“The conversation among European leaders evaluating the information provided by President Trump and the outcomes of the Alaska meeting has concluded,” Tusk wrote on X.
“Together with @EmmanuelMacron, @_FriedrichMerz, @Keir_Starmer, @GiorgiaMeloni, we listened to the opinions of @ZelenskyyUa and prepared a joint statement.”
Tusk did not say when the statement would be issued.
Holly Evans16 August 2025 10:25
Watch: Putin’s reaction as reporter confronts Russian president on civilian killingsPutin’s reaction as reporter confronts Russian president on civilian killings
Holly Evans16 August 2025 10:02
Trump hails ‘great and very successful day’ in bid for peace agreement
Donald Trump has taken to Truth Social to hail the Alaska summit as a “great and very successful day”.
He added that he had spoken to Zelensky and European allies, and that it had been agreed that a peace agreement was the way forward, rather than a ceasefire deal.
He wrote: “It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up.”
Holly Evans16 August 2025 09:51